Concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) caused by a jostling of the brain in the intracranial space. Concussion can be caused both by direct impact to the head and by movement to the body resulting in jostling of the brain. Linear and angular/rotational brain accelerations are the two variables to consider in head injury since most head injuries will involve both linear and angular forces. The kinetic energy is half of the mass multiplied by the squared velocity; therefore, the velocity has a large impact when considering the biophysical aspect of a concussion. When a concussion occurs, there are high strain forces on the midbrain, and cerebral blood flow decreases significantly after injury. Excessive amounts of a neurotransmitter, glutamate, are released in the body and in turn, cause neurons to fire excessively. This results in an imbalance of ions across the cell membrane, affecting action potentials. Current head and neck protection are effective in skull and cervical injuries, but there remains a need for protection to reduce or prevent harmful lateral and rotational forces on the brain.
Other injuries to the neck, including neck strain or sprain, whiplash, other injuries due to neck hyperextension or hyper flexion, and overuse of muscles, may also require preventative or restorative support to the neck, head, and/or back. For instance, stress injuries occur during daily tasks such as sitting at a computer, where incorrect posture is common, and exercising, when improper form places undue stress on the neck muscles. A device is needed that will not impede any and all activities desired by the user while reducing excessive force or strain on the musculature.
Recent findings indicate a correlation between neck strength and concussion incidence. As neck strength increases so does the ability of the neck to counteract a force applied to the head. However, in many cases, athletes do not see an impact coming and thus cannot prepare for impact. When the athlete does not see the impact coming, neck strength becomes less relevant as the muscles are not engaged, and concussion incidence is higher.
Many attempts to address these problems are designed to work in conjunction with a helmet. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,517 discloses a foam-like neck collar to be fastened around the neck to reduce and cushion extreme motions of the neck for lessening the occurrence of or eliminating neck injuries. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,896 discloses a neck brace for athletes to be secured to the base of a helmet as well as shoulder pads which functions to limit flexion and extension of the neck. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 7,846,117 discloses a neck brace to be used in conjunction with a helmet that inhibits excessive neck movement during impact, yet otherwise allows a high degree of motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,412 discloses an inflatable cervical collar functioning to prevent whiplash-like head and neck injury. The collar is connected to a compressed natural gas source for inflation upon impact; therefore, it is not suitable for wear in most circumstances.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,710 A discloses a sports neck guard that protects hockey players from lacerations in the wearer's throat caused by a hockey stick blade or a skate blade. The neck guards protect the player from dangerous blows to the throat, but the neck guard does not protect the wearer from concussions that occur due to neck movement.
Similar to U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,710 A is U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,179 that provides air-inflated padding to serve as a throat protector but does not protect the carotid artery nor does it protect the neck to avoid mild traumatic brain injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,375 discloses a pulsimeter which utilizes a wrist watch as a user interface to detect a pulse wave and has a pulse wave sensor to output a pulse wave signal. The pulsimeter has a control program through a computer device to allow an accurate calculation of pulse rate despite body motion components that overlap pulse wave components.
Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,212,496 A is a molecular physiological monitoring system that measure electrocardiogram, respiration rate, and heart rate and transmits the data with or without the use of wires. The miniature transducer contains electronic circuits that can be implanted subcutaneously or externally on the human body.
Research published in Computers in Biology and Medicine reveals an interactive graphical user interface that analyzes human cardiac monophasic action potentials. The graphical user interface coupled with an algorithm analyzes data from both swine and human hearts can detect ischemia and assess appropriate pharmaceutical interventions.
Polar (www.polar.com) has developed and commercialized many different heart rate monitors and sport watches. These systems have transmitters that measure human physiology, GPS data, speed, distance, etc. and calculate and communicate this information to a user interface such as a watch or smart phone through Bluetooth and other wireless means.
There are also disclosures for adhesive supports such as U.S. Pat. No. D,265,828 and other similar kinesiology tapes that function to increase healing and provide support with no appreciable thickness on the skin. This support, however, is quite limited and largely for rehabilitation purposes.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2013/0239310 A1 relates to an anti-concussion compression device meant to protect the neck and spine.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,412 relates to an inflatable cervical collar meant to protect the head and neck from whiplash-like injuries.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2011/055783 (EP 2637927 A1) relates to a device to be worn around the neck that will compress the veins and restrict brain venous drainage to reduce energy absorption.
U.S. Pat. No. CA 2,822,642 A1 relates to an apparatus for preventing neck, spinal cord injury, and concussion comprising a helmet and body harness that may limit cervical rotation, lateral bending, flexion, and extension.
U.S. Patent No. WO 2009053946 A2 relates to the method to process composite structures with adaptive stiffness integrating shear thickening fluids.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,498,276 B2 relates to the use of shear thickening fluids in body armor and protective devices.
U.S. Patent No. US 2012/0094789 A1 relates to a system and method of using shear thickening materials in sports products.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,679,047 B2 relates to an athletic tape or protective athletic sleeve using shear thickening fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,010 relates to an electrical muscle stimulator used to stimulate one or more muscles through one or more electrodes attached to the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,844,340 B2 relates to a device and method for performing transcutaneous electrical stimulation on a human patient.
U.S. Patent No. US 2006/0173510 A1 relates to a medical device utilizing electrical stimulation to prevent and/or treat neurological disorders.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,290 A relates to a garment that reduces the risk of bone fracture due to impact forces that may utilize a dilatant material for energy dissipation.
U.S. Patent No. U.S. 2006/0234572 A1 details a method of containment for shear thickening fluids using polymer composites.
U.S. Patent No. WO 2007146703 A2 details a process used to coat a shear thickening fluid onto a material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,707 describes an electrical stimulation garment with a joint movement sensor that aids a user in gripping objects.
To any extent needed to explain the foregoing technologies, the disclosures of the foregoing publications are incorporated herein by reference. As stated above, most current head and neck protective devices provide significant protection from skull and cervical injuries, but lack substantial ability to manage jostling of the brain especially in sports such as soccer and basketball where concussion incidence is still high despite limited contact. There is, therefore, a need for a wearable device that manages jostling of the brain while remaining suitable for use during activities including non-contact, non-helmeted sports.